SRK’s emotional SMS to Knight Riders

An SMS from the SRK has been leaked to the media. It's an unusually long message revealing his anger, and exposing a very private side of the superstar. SKR appears clearly frustrated with the Kolkata team. The message was forwarded to The Telegraph newspaper by a member of the Knight Riders squad:

SRK's SMS

"Story time boys... I told you if you keep losing you have to bear with my long, boring msgs.... This is your punishment.... Many times I have made movies which don't do well.... When I'm doing them, of course, I don't know they won't do well.... The story is written by somebody else and I just do my bit as an actor. But I have a way of dealing with flop stories..., I try my best to keep my character in the film at a level that it makes a failed story also special for me....

"I enjoy the work.... I make jokes about the failure.... And, of course, feel awful about it too.... So, right now, all of us have become part of a failed script... A bad IPL script.... Let's try and keep our characters worthy of still looking back at this story and remembering it as a special story becos we all worked very hard at this....

"In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film....
So let's make the whole world know how good
we r in the last (maybe not) two games..."

"So, chin up and don't spoil yr character in the next two games.... Let's go out with a bang and not a whimper.... In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film.... So let's make the whole world know how good we r in the last (maybe not) two games...

"Also, do ignore all this bit about Dada, me and John having issues.... It's a normal thing in the world.... People like to hit you when u r down.... So, we will be hit.... No stress.... It will make us stronger.... The only way to avoid this is to win.... That's one of the reasons why everybody likes to be a winner....

"On the other hand, the beauty of failure is that it brings people together.... So, let's stick this out together.... You know me well enuff to know I am not the kind of owner who has issues with the team 'cos of losses... I am too much of a sport myself to get beaten by defeats.... Like you guys are.... Like Dada and John....

"We have nothing to lose now, except our character....
Let's not lose that...."

"I am still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of me at the matches of the IPL.... ICC... Etc.... After I understand it, I will decide whether to accept it or not.... Till such time, I will be with you guys at the hotel... in the meetings etc., but won't come for the matches.... So, please don't ever feel it is anything to do with us as a team....

"I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids.... Only, I won't be coming to the class room till the headmaster's rules are understood by me.... I am a bit anti-Establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to u all.... So, head's up.... Have a good match and let's make 200 runs tomorrow.... This 150 seems to not work any more....

"We have nothing to lose now, except our character.... Let's not lose that.... Lov... SRK."

Goodbye Knight Riders, you were high on IPL drama but low on substance

Franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan brought together the cream of world cricket to take the IPL by storm. But it all turned sour as controversy off the pitch, and a lack of teamwork on it, sent the Bollywood star's boys tumbling out of the tournament. He couldn't have performed the script better himself.

Yusuf Pathan of the Rajasthan Royals sent the ball flying into the stands and it was all over for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

With the six-wicket defeat, their hopes of a semi-final berth have been shattered. But the fans of this team need not be too downhearted. They have two more matches to go and after that nobody will see the men in black. The team which was high on glamour right from the beginning, went out on a low.

So what went wrong? The answer has already been revealed by the shrewd Indian media and also the controversy created by the team itself. Out of the 12 matches played, the Knight Riders won five through Brendon McCullum’s whirlwind innings, Murali Kartik's spin, Sourav Ganguly’s all-round heroics and Shoaib Akhtar’s comeback. So four out of the five wins came in the form of one-man-shows. But even in the shortest format of the game, cricket is a team affair. individual brilliance can earn the team rewards once in a while, but not always.

"Four out of the five wins for KKR
came in the form of one-man shows"

The Knight Riders were never able to come together as a team. Interestingly one of the ads of the team featuring owner Shah Rukh Khan, captain Ganguly and some of the team members shows them fighting each other. In the end Ganguly holds two of his team-mates and says thus: “I hate these guys. But I hate to lose even more." Interesting.

There are times when truth is stranger than fiction. Controversy followed the team and on several occasions the content of the ad was actually happening.

The first controversy started when the captain of Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, accused Ganguly of not playing the game in the right spirit. Ganguly responded, pointing out that Warne was no saint. The very same day after that incident team-mate Umar Gul came out into the open expressing disappointment over Ganguly’s decisions and that he needed to learn how to lead a side in the Twenty20 format. Then came the outburst of Salman Butt wanting to know why he was being sidelined.

"There are times when truth is stranger than fiction.
The content of the ad ‘I hate these guys.
But I hate to lose even more’ was actually happening"

With players under the microscope, how could the team's owner, Badhshah of Bollywood, remain silent? Khan also expressed dissatisfaction over Ganguly’s captaincy and strategy. After the loss to Chennai. King Khan said he had wanted his team to field first after winning toss. But Sourav elected to bat and after losing the match Khan was reported to have kicked some chairs in the dressing room

The Knight Riders were never able to work together as a team, each player appeared to be in it for themsleves. The inspirational team anthem, its publicity machine and the support of an exceptional franchisee couldn’t do much for them.

Glamour and controversy became the team's staple diet, not unlike Khan's movie Om Shanthi Om - high on drama and low on substance.

An Eventful day & an out-of-fashion hairstyle

21st May 2008 will probably go down as the most eventful day in this edition of the IPL

First Mumbai lost a humdinger to Mohali by 1 run. They were coasting with 34 needed off 24 with seven wickets in hand and Sachin at the wicket to guide them home. They just had a bout of complete madness. The 2 points dropped here could be the difference between a semi final spot and an early exit in the IPL for the Mumbai side.

Then there was Mohali captain Yuvraj Singh shooting himself in the foot. His side had just won a great game and he had played a key role in it. But rather than celebrate his teams brilliant performance, he chose to berate the Mumbai crowd for being too one-sided and not showing respect for the ‘Indian players’ in the Mohali side. Grow up Yuvraj. This is exactly what home support is meant to be. If you want to be cheered for whenever you play in India, please stay away from the IPL or any other league.

"What Yuvi forgot while criticizing the Mumbai crowd
was the fact that the semis and the final of the IPL
will be played in front of the same crowd"

What Yuvi also forgot was the fact that the semis and the final of the IPL will be played in front of the same crowd. By riling the boisterous Mumbai crowd, he has ensured his side has little support when they come back to Mumbai to play the knock-out rounds. Yuvraj needs to either learn to talk sensibly or talk like Mohd Azharuddin – so that no one can understand him.

And then to round the day off, Chennai lost a game which looked so winnable at 80 odd for 3 in 13 over that I left the stadium early to avoid the monotony of Chennai going through the motions of winning the game (and the post match traffic).

"Now CSK needs to win both remaining games,
including a difficult one against RR,
to be absolutely certain of a semi –final berth"

Chennai’s defeat has given new hope to both Mumbai and Delhi – two teams whose net run rate is far superior to that of the Super Kings. What that means is that Chennai must have at least one more win than each of those two sides to make the semis. It is no longer assured of a semi-final spot with 8 wins. Delhi and Mumbai could easily end up with 8 wins each; ensuring that they edge CSK for a semi-final spot.

Therefore, CSK needs to win both remaining games including a difficult one against RR to be absolutely certain of a semi –final berth. Finishing the job today would have saved all the uncertainty that surrounds the Super Kings now.

SRK's stunts not enough for Riders

AHEAD OF their must-win game against the Rajasthan Royals, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on May 20, Shahrukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had been trying to persuade the New Zealand cricket board to make Brendan McCullum available for the semi-finals. They were willing to pay them USD one million for this special arrangement.

I don’t know how it fits in the cap structure but this was surely a way of showing to the world that they were quite confident of making it to the semis. A very typical SRK stunt. It should have been quite a boost for the side ahead of the game.

King Khan’s absence from such a big game, however, showed that this show of confidence was merely a filmy stunt. He had either already written off his team’s chances or had more pressing matters to attend (like blogging against Aamir Khan).

Wonder why all the fuss about getting an all access pass when he wasn’t going to use it? He has to have it just because Preity Zinta and Vijay Mallya have it. I would love to hear from SRK, once KKR is finally knocked out of the tournament. Arun ‘Aryabhatta’ Lal thinks that the Riders still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semis.

"King Khan’s absence from such a big game
against RR showed that this show
of confidence was merely a filmy stunt "

The Bengalis had been highly aggrieved at the booing Sourav Ganguly received in Jaipur. It was a good chance to give chief culprit - Shane Warne - some real stick. I was expecting a jam-packed Eden Gardens. Instead, I saw a stadium, which had enough empty spaces to seat the entire film community of Mumbai and not just the ones who turned up to support SRK in Mumbai.

The Knight Riders still have a long way to go before they can garner the kind of support the likes of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal enjoy.

"The Knight Riders still have a long way to go before
they can garner the kind of support the likes of
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal enjoy"

Now here’s a new theory, which I have.

The Royals come from Rajasthan, home of the Marwari community. This business community has a fair presence in all the major cities of the country. Wouldn’t this ensure that the Rajasthan side will always have a decent number of supporters wherever they play? It’s similar to Indians being found all over the world, thereby ensuring that the Indian cricket team is never short of support at any venue in the world.

The Race to the Semis

The third quarter of the DLF IPL has almost ended, yet there is little clarity over who will make it to semi’s (save for of course The Rajasthan Royals, who with Saturday’s win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore have absolutely made it certain that they will make it). This shows us how keenly contested this tournament truly has been. Except for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, the rest of the teams are still in the hunt for one of the three remaining semi-final slots. If things shape up the way I see, here’s who I think should go to the semis

1)

The Kings XI Punjab: For a team that started it’s campaign with back to back losses, this team has put up one impressive performance after the other. Miss Zinta’s jadoo ki jhappis certainly seem to have done the trick as the King’s did not lose their winning momentum even after the exit of key players like Brett Lee and Simon Katich. The Mohali men found a new hero in young Shaun Marsh (legendary Aussie stumper Geoff Marsh’s son).

Young Marsh, with his consistent batting has certainly put his hand up for selection into the Aussie side in the near future. I hope Miss Zinta has contracted him for 3 years because his contract value is sure to go through the roof for the next season. Another surprise has been yet another hard-hitting left hander, Luke Pomersbach. His knock under pressure against the Delhi Daredevils has shown glimpses of the devastation this man can cause on his day. Add Yuvraj Singh’s clean hitting and Mahela Jayawardane’s conventional yet effective cricket to that and you have one hell of a batting line up.

"Miss Zinta’s Jadoo Ki Jhappis certainly seem to have done
the trick as the King’s did not lose their winning
momentum even after the exit of Lee and Katich"

The bowling department seems to be in good touch as well. Irfan Pathan who was until recently the leading wicket taker of the tournament, seems to have regained his swing. His partner , the mercurial S Sreesanth too is coming good more often than not. With a good balance and 14 points to their name,the Kings XI Punjab are silencing critics with every passing performance. Their semi-final ticket looks just about confirmed.

2)

The Chennai SuperKings: You just can’t write of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team off in a T20 tournament. The SuperKings who had a dream start to the IPL lost their way in the middle with 3 successive losses, but they soon picked up the slack and got back to winning ways. Sunday’s crucial win over the Kolkata KnightRiders means that it would be very hard for the SuperKings to not qualify for the semi finals.

What has been impressive is that after the exit of the Aussie stars Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey, Indian players have stepped up to the plate and delivered. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath have surely given the Indian selectors something to think about with their impressive showing with the bat. MS Dhoni’s captaincy continues to impress time and again which only proves that the Indian side is in safe hands.

"MS Dhoni’s captaincy continues to impress
time and again which only proves
that the Indian side is in safe hands"

Dhoni has been more or less in extracting the desired perfomances from his men. He definitely deserves applause for they way he has shown faith in rank newcomers like Palani Amarnath and Manpreet Goni, who in turn have met their captain’s expectations. Though the net run rate might be a cause of concern for the SuperKings, they should make it to the semis without much worry.

3)

The Mumbai Indians: The only thing that can be said about this team is ‘What a turn-around!’ The Mumbai Indians were subjected to ridicule even before the tournament thanks to their unusual name. The four consecutive losses at the start of the tournament and the shameful Harbhajan - Sreesanth incident only increased their woes. But one victory changed everything for this team. Despite Tendulkar’s absence in the first seven matches and Sanath Jayasuriya’s poor showing in the initial stages of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians managed to string three wins together thanks to brilliant performances by their youngsters.

"It is rumored that Bravo was brought for a
throw-away price by Mukesh Ambani"

Be it Yogesh Takawale’s clean work behind the stumps or Dhawal Kulkarni’s ability to pick up wickets at important situations to Rohan Raje’s emergence as a bankable option, youth power is undoubtedly a strong reason for the success of the Mumbai Indians. Robin Uthappa at number three hasn’t been shabby at all with the bat or in the field. And what can one say about Dwayne Bravo! The man was brought in at one of the toughest times and how well he’s delivered. It is rumored that he was brought for a throw-away price by Mukesh Ambani, but as he departs for the home series against the Australian’s , there is no doubt that the Mumbai Indians will sorely miss his presence.

"With just 2 more wins needed to secure a semis berth,
Mumbai looks poised to script one of the finest
comeback stories in cricketing history"

Last but definitely not the least, one has to acknowledge the importance of experience. Players like Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya have shown the world that a world class player is a world class player in any format. As Sachin Tendulkar put, ‘It not about age, it’s about confidence.’ The Mumbai Indians with Sunday’s win over the Deccan Chargers have now won no less than six times in a row! The momentum is definitely with the Indians and with just two more wins needed to secure a semi final berth, the Mumbai Indians look poised to script one of the finest comeback stories in cricketing history.

Highest - Runs, Sixes, Wickets

Sixes

Name	Team	Total
Jayasuriya	Mumbai Indians	22
Sehwag	Delhi Daredevils	20
David Hussey	Kolkata Knight Riders	17

Wickets

Name	Team	Total
Sreesanth	Kings XI Punjab	15
Irfan Pathan	Kings XI Punjab	15
RP Singh	Deccan Chargers	15

Most Runs

Name	Team	Total
Gautam Gambhir	Delhi Daredevils	504
Virender Sehwag	Delhi Daredevils	385
Shaun Marsh	Kings XI Punjab	378
Sanath Jayasuriya	Mumbai Indians	357

All is not well between Dada & Badshah

Rift between Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan and skipper Sourav Ganguly is being reported. All is not well between the two after the sudden dip in the performance levels reportedly upset the King Khan. Let’s have a look at all the reasons behind the current war between the Knights -

Reasons Potrayed:

1. SRK and Ganguly have conflicting opinions over various issues like team selection, team combination and player selection.

2. Ganguly has been unhappy right from the beginning of the season right from the auction, where SRK and Buchanan did not pay much heed to Sourav’s suggestions.

3. Shahrukh’s faith in coach John Buchanan that saw him giving more powers to the Australian in team issues surpassing Ganguly.

4. King Khan further upset Ganguly by announcing that Buchanan would be taking control of the team next season.

5. SRK wanted Ganguly to speak to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and try and get it abolished. But Ganguly, who is known to be close to the CM and the ruling party, refused to oblige.

6. Ganguly wanted Adam Gilchrist in the team as wicket-keeper and opening batsman while Buchanan impressed upon SRK to bid for Brendon McCullum to fill the slot.

7. Ganguly and Buchanan differed over the Pakistan pacer’s inclusion in the Rajasthan game. Buchanan was adamant that Shoaib is unfit while Ganguly wanted him to play.

"I have this feeling that the IPL drama is not going to be
over after the Finals. The team owners and captains
of the bottom 4 are going to be in a big spat"

But the reason cannot be as simple as what is being potrayed. I think all this is coming out the same reason Vijay Mallya and Dravid are square with each other - The KnightRider’s near-certain exit from the IPL. SRK is blaming it on Dada’s declining form, and the lack of any solid performance after McCullum’s blitz in Match #1.

I have this feeling that the IPL drama is not going to be over after the Finals. The team owners and captains of the bottom 4 are going to be in a big spat, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the BCCI to clarify the player trading rules when the trading window opens. Fun!

Kkk..Kurtains for KKR?

The Rajasthan Royals did it again. For the ninth time out of eleven matches they ended up on the winning side taking their points tally to 18. With that, all the crazy, highly unlikely mathematical scenarios of the Rajasthan Royals not making it to the semis have gone for a toss. And speaking of mathematical scenarios, all doesn’t seem to well for the Kolkata Knight Riders

as a result of this defeat.

Their net run-rate is now on the wrong side of zero and they have just two more matches to remedy that , a situation that now seems quite unlikely. The Delhi Daredevils have the same number of points in the same number of matches have a positive NRR. But even if The Delhi Daredevils and The Kolkata Knight Riders win both their remaining games they can score a maximum of 14 points.

This means that the Chennai Superkings and Kings XI Punjab require just one more win to get their points tally to 16 and secure a semi-final berth. With three and four matches still to go respectively, this doesn’t seem too unlikely. In fact the Chennai Superkings have two of their three matches against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and The Deccan Chargers!

"I have a strong feeling that it’s Korbo Lorbo Khisko
time for the Knight Riders!"

The Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians will in most probability now fight for the remaining semi-final slots. Tomorrow’s encounter between these two teams is set to be a crucial one. If Punjab win, they more or less confirm a semi-final berth for themselves with 16 points and if the Mumbai Indians outclass them, it would mean that they need just one more win out of their three remaining matches to go to the semis. In both cases The Kolkata Knight Riders and The Delhi Daredevils stand to lose.

One can’t really be absolutely certain about these things in cricket. I maybe speaking to soon, but I have a strong feeling that it’s Korbo Lorbo Khisko time for the Knight Riders!

IPL – The Top Performers

Teams with most sixes

Teams	M	Sixes	Fours	Sixes/ M	Fours/M
Deccan Chargers	11	73	163	6.64	14.82
Kolkata Knight Riders	12	66	145	5.5	12.08
Chennai Super Kings	11	61	177	5.55	16.10
Kings XI Punjab	10	58	152	5.80	15.20
Mumbai Indians	10	56	138	5.60	13.80
Royal Challengers	11	49	143	4.46	13.00
Delhi Daredevils	12	47	189	3.92	15.75
Rajasthan Royals	11	51	178	4.64	16.18

Wicket keepers with most dismissals

Wicket keepers	M	I	Dis	Ct	St	Dis/I
Yogesh Takawale (Mum)	5	5	11	9	1	1.80
Mahesh Rawat (Raj)	9	8	11	8	0	1.00
Wriddhiman Saha (Kol)	11	10	12	10	2	1.20
Dinesh Karthik (Del)	11	11	10	6	1	0.55

Most separate century partnerships

Gautam Gambhir (Delhi) – 4 in 12 matches
Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi) – 4 in 12 matches
Graeme Smith (Jaipur) – 3 in 9 matches

Fielders with most catches in an innings

Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai) – 4 vs Team Kolkata
Abhishek Nayar (Mumbai) – 3 vs Team Bangalore
Robin Uthappa (Mumbai) – 3 vs Team Delhi

Batsmen who have faced most balls

Gautam Gambhir (Delhi) – 355
Graeme Smith (Jaipur) – 314
David Hussey (Kolkata) –263
Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi) – 254
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai) – 252
Adam Gilchrist (Hyd) – 231

Teams with most century partnerships

Team Delhi – 5
Team Rajasthan –3
Team Hyderabad –2
Team Kolkata –2

SRK post to KKR Fans – “Now, more than ever - Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re”

We had started with two outstanding victories to set the pace for IPL 20-20 cricket. Then, four times in a row, we have seen the match being given away at the last minute. The critics were quick to comment, but our war cry has never been silenced. If anything, the thirst for victory is now stronger in us. And our motto is strengthened by the faithful fans who chant along with us, even in our weakest moments, "Korbo! Lorbo! Jeetbo Re!"

We then bounced back with three great victories. After that, we were beaten in Mumbai and then were unlucky with the rain at our beloved Eden Gardens. Now, we are in a position where we can still bounce back and do well in the tournament.

It is you, fans, and your generous wishes and comments that have always driven the passion in us. For that, I am thankful. I know that even when we lose a wicket, you will be there to cheer us on so that the batsman heading to the pavilion can walk with head raised, so that the batsman coming in to play can feel encouraged, and so that the opponent knows what incredible force they are up against.

And the fact that we are a force to be reckoned with cannot be denied. We may have had a few bad days on the field, but the game is still on. We are prepared. I have faith in the invaluable experience of our senior players, and in the endless potential and talent of our younger Knight Riders like Ashok Dinda and Ishant Sharma. They are gems in the rough, raring to show the opponent what they are made of. It is an unbeatable mix.

"We have had a good start, and a bad patch down the line.
But, like in movies, can you have a truly happy ending
without some rough competition in the middle? "

Our captain, Sourav, has been quick to draw attention from critics who think he is not well suited to the 20-20 format. A few outstanding performances, not just with bat and ball but sharp captaincy as well, should answer all those questions. It was a proud moment when he was adjudged Man of the Match. My faith in him and the team cannot be shaken.

Also, Shoaib is finally here with the team, and won a match for us against Delhi. His injury is a worry, but I am sure he will recover and play a part in the forthcoming matches.

Some big games are coming up, and we need your support. We have had a good start, and a bad patch down the line. But, like in the movies, can you have a truly happy ending without some rough competition in the middle?

Lets wait for the happy ending!!

BCCI kept out of 83’ World Cup Anniversary party

The 25th anniversary celebrations of India's 1983 World Cup-winning campaign will not involve the Board of Control for Cricket in India in any capacity. It is reported that the BCCI was reluctant to get involved because a few members of that squad, including the captain Kapil Dev, have shifted to the rival Indian Cricket league (ICL), which the board has refused to recognise.

"I'm not hurt that the board is not organising the function," Kapil told the paper. "Why should I be hurt? The important thing is not whether the board is backing off because of me or the ICL, but whether we will invite the board members or not. Right now, it doesn't look like that we'll interested in calling them. This is an event by Sunny [Gavaskar] and I'm helping him with it."

The BCCI also confirmed they weren't doing anything to honour the cricketers. "Let them do whatever they're doing," Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, said. "We haven't got any invitation from them for any intimation."

Struggle at Sixteen – Exploring statistical possibilities

It‘s just an interesting observation. There is fair chance that four teams behind Rajasthan Royals might all be stuck on 16 points after the end of the league round of the Indian premier league.

There is a pretty decent possibility of this happening. Just have a look at how the things could roll and lead to such a situation.

• Delhi Daredevils have 12 points with 2 matches remaining. One is against Mumbai and the other against Kolkata. They have a pretty good chance of winning against Kolkata and if one of Sehwag and Gambhir plays a big innings and the bowlers bowl according to reputation they can beat Mumbai too. This will get them on 16 points at the end of the league.

• Chennai have 14 points with 3 of their matches remaining against Bangalore, Rajasthan and Deccan. Rajasthan are a strong side and Deccan beat Chennai pretty convincingly in the last match between these two. If Chennai wins 1 of their remaining matches they would be on 16 points as well.

• Mumbai are on 12 points with 4 matches remaining against Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Bangalore. As we said earlier, Delhi must defeat Mumbai and Rajasthan are well capable of doing that as well. Mumbai are too good a team to loose too many matches and thus they could win against Punjab and Bangalore, giving them 16 points too.

• Now this is the toughest part. Punjab have 14 points with 4 games to play. They will play against Mumbai, Deccan, Kolkata and Rajasthan. As we said, Mumbai have to defeat them and Rajasthan can beat them too. Deccan is a very good team. Although too late, but they seem to be coming into rhythm and would definitely like to prove a point. So if Punjab manage to beat only one of the four teams they are to play they are to going to finish on 16 points.

Now it is very difficult to predict which teams will get through on the basis of net run rate. But taking into account the results of the matches that these teams played with those who they are to play, a prediction can be made.

Unless there is a huge victory for any of the teams Chennai are the most likely to go out because they have very poor net run rate and loosing 2 of their remaining 3 matches wouldn‘t help either.

Still, the margins of victories will have a huge bearing on the outcome and Bangalore and Deccan could turn out King makers and dream breakers in the scenario.

A Look At The IPL Trophy

The winner’s trophy for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League was unveiled today by Lalit Modi in much fanfare. The trophy is apparently hand-made, and features diamond-encrusting. It has been designed by Orra, the diamond brand.

Oh, bugger. I’m just going to come out and say it: It looks silly. Looks like an India Map on a wooden board. It is probably something a 4th standard teacher would give a student who top-scored in geography. Its horrible. It certainly doesn’t look appealing, and the prominent DLF logo on top doesn’t help one bit.

And wait, it gets worse. The winning team isn’t going to get the trophy, but -get this- A REPLICA OF THE TROPHY!!! Now why the hell would you do that? It seems like some sponsor -probably DLF- paid for the trophy, but its too expensive with the silly diamonds to give away, so they’ll keep it for next year and give away a cheaper replica.

The agony and ecstasy of being MS Gony

These days Manpreet Singh Gony finds it hard to walk alone on the streets of Chennai for the fear of being mobbed by fans. The 24-year-old, however, remains unperturbed by his rising popularity. Life has indeed taken strange twists and turns for Gony.

As he looks back on the past few months, tears well up in his eyes. It was only the other day he and his wife were blessed with a bonny boy, but two weeks later tragedy struck. The cruel hands of fate snatched away their ‘bundle of joy'. As he stood alone in a Delhi hospital, clutching the lifeless body of his baby, the light seemed to have gone out of his life.

"We had named him Diamond. We were young parents. The day I first held him in my arms it was a priceless feeling. He was born with a heart problem. The doctors in Delhi tried their best. But I guess God willed otherwise," the tall (6' 4"), well-built Punjab da
puttar told TOI. "My wife (Manpreet Kaur) was inconsolable. I had to be strong, but trust me it was difficult. When a father holds the dead body of his son, the other things in life become insignificant" he recalled.

"When a father holds the dead body of his son,
the other things in life become insignificant"

How does it feel to be a star? "To be a star you need to play at the highest level. Yes, I am happy that I have got a foothold but now I need to build on it. Fame and money is fine but I am only one season old in first-class cricket. It's pure destiny that I am here today. Had Luv Ablish not opted for ICL, I wouldn't have played for Punjab this season. I was just concentrating on my performance for state team. I never even dreamt of being included as a catchment area player for Team Mohali, let alone Chennai. A good performance in Deodhar Trophy changed things," Gony rushed through his brief career.

Strange it is, indeed, but Gony, who now aspires to play for India, had all but given up the game a couple of years back after being ignored by Punjab selectors. "I was frustrated as I was taking wickets in club cricket consistently but was not being considered for selection. I was thinking about leaving but my wife insisted that I should just carry on. Those were hard days," said the school drop-out.

"I had given up Cricket a couple of years back
after being ignored by Punjab selectors"

"I gave up my studies after XIIth but my wife is a qualified architect. I still don't have a job. I used to earn peanuts playing club cricket. My wife sustained the family," Gony said.

Normally lot of parental support is required for sportspersons but Gony and his wife didn't get much supports from that quarter. "I snapped all ties with my parents as they were never nice to my wife," he confessed. "When I used to be away playing club cricket and various office tournaments they would make life hell for her. Those were dark days too. We have since moved in with my in-laws. With IPL and first-class cricket I have gained financial stability, I soon plan to buy my own house and want my wife to take the Civil Services entrance test," he said.

Who’s Paying For The IPL?

A lot of folks I talk to these days are very skeptical about the big amounts of money involved in the IPL. Where is all this millions of dollars coming from? Someone has to pay for it ultimately, right? Why doesn’t the government take all this money to feed the poor? Surely that’s a better way to use the money, rather than watching some silly cricket, no?

So, lets try to follow the logic of this argument. Who is paying for the IPL? Lets see… There are 2 major sources. One is that SONY is paying for it, via the huge broadcasting rights, and the spectators are paying a somewhat smaller amount for the match tickets.

How can SONY pay so much money? Because the advertisers are paying SONY huge money to advertise their products. And how are the advertisers able to afford so much money? They’re able to get all this money by selling us soaps and cars and the like.

So there you have it. All the “cost” is ultimately being borne by regular folks like you and me. But this is a very specious argument. Let us make the assumption that most folks like you and me are sane and selfish. Both very reasonably assumptions. Now, I wouldn’t pay for the tickets, the cars, the soaps and the chips if I wasn’t absolutely sure that I was getting something of more value in return.

"The money is not coming at someone’s cost.
Nobody is suffering because of the IPL.
The IPL has created actual value,
and is contributing to India’s GDP in a very real way"

That is to say, I value being clean (from using the soap) more than the 30 bucks it costs me to buy it. So I, the consumer, am winning in the process. The companies are winning too, since their sales are going up, and are happy to pay SONY for the advertisements. And SONY is happy to pay the BCCI for the rights, because it’s making money too. And the BCCI is happy to pay the players, because SONY is paying it so much. And the players are happy to take the money and do what they like - play cricket. Plus, they get to buy more soap, TVs, cars and chips with their salaries.

Everyone is winning. It was as if the IPL is pulling “money” out of thin air! How can that be
The problem with that statement is that the metaphor doesn’t fit. Money is not a zero-sum game. Value can be created, and is created by individuals and companies in pursuit of things like the IPL.

The IPL has created value exactly like this, and is supporting several thousand jobs in not just cricket and franchises, but at SONY and at the advertisers. And at its suppliers. And so on…
The money is not coming at someone’s cost. Nobody is suffering because of the IPL. The IPL has created actual value, and is contributing to India’s GDP in a very real way.